Hot liquid dispensing apparatus



April 4, 1961 w. R. LYMAN HOT LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed March 27, 1959 INVENTOR WALLACE R.LYMAN W A'ETQ EY United States Patent 2,978,145 HOT LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Wallace R. Lyman, West Springfield, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 27, 1959, Ser. No; 802,345 .4 Claims. (Cl. 222-146) This invention relates to dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to hot liquid dispensers.

A number of hot liquid dispensers are now commercially available. These usually comprise a liquid storage tank, means for heating the stored liquid, an inlet valve for the tank connected to a source of pressurized liquid, and a tank outlet through which the hot liquid is discharged. The tank is vented to the atmosphere, preferably through the outlet, so that expensive pressure vessel construction of the tank is not required. In some dispensers provision is also made to increase the volume of the tank after a flow periodin order to allow room for the stored liquid to expand as it is heated, so that hot water will not drip from the outlet.

One prior construction eliminates dripping from the outlet by providing a movable or flexible diaphragm which is adjustably extendable into the tank to decrease the volume thereof during the dispensing operation and to increase the volume of the tank at other times. It is this type of dispenser to which the present invention is applicable. More particularly, the invention provides a dispenser capable of simple and economical manufacture, and which requires simple mechanical parts rather than electrical apparatus to control the flow of fresh liquid into the tank.

According to the present invention, there is provided a liquid storage tank having rigid and flexible wall portions, the latter being adjustably extendable into the tank to change the bounding configuration, or the volumetric capacity thereof. The tank is provided with an inlet normally closed by an inlet valve and connectable to a source of pressurized liquid, and means for heating the liquid in the tank. The flexible wall portion of the tank has a tubular outlet and an inlet valve actuator, both of which are movable with the flexible wall portion as changes in the volumetric capacity of the tank are effected. The inlet valve is mechanically actuated by the valve actuator in such a manner that the inlet valve opens after the flexible wall portion has moved to decrease the volumetric capacity of the tank, and also so that the volumetric capacity ofthe tank increases after the inlet valve has been closed.

The various objects, features and advantages of the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing; forming a part of this application, in which the single figure in the drawing is a vertical sectional view of dispensing apparatus constructed and arranged according to the invention.

The hot liquid dispenser, as shown, includes a cylindrical, metal tank having a bottom wall 14, a tubular wall 15, and a cover 16. Interiorly of the tank 10, and extending across an upper region thereof, is a circular flexible diaphragm 17 for changing the volumetric capacity of the tank. A circumferential edge of the diaphragm 17 is clamped between the cover 16 and the tubular wall and a central region of the diaphragm is sandwiched between circular reinforcing plates 18.

Patented Apr. 4, 1961- The bottom Wall 14, in a central portion thereof, is-

provided with an inlet and an inlet valve 19 connected to a pipe 20 through which pressurized liquid is supplied to the tank. The valve 19 has a stem 23 extending upwardly into the tank 10. In order to open the valve 19, the stem 23 must be moved downwardly against the bias of a helical spring 24 which keeps the valve normally closed.

Liquid is discharged from the tank 10 through a goose-neck outlet tube 25 which extends upwardly therefrom, through the diaphragm 17 and its reinforcing plates 18, through a central region of the cover 16, and terminates in a reversely bent, downwardly directed, discharge end. Then tank 10 is vented to the atmosphere through the outlet tube 25.

As shown, the liquid in the tank 10 is heated by means of a heating element 26 which is suitably joined to the bottom wall 14, as by soldering or welding, but other arrangements and heating devices fall within the scope of the invention; and, although not shown, the operation of the heating element may be automatically controlled to regulate the temperature of the stored liquid by means of a suitable thermostat device.

The tank 10 is suspended from a sink 27 by means of a sleeve 28, and the discharge end of the tube 25 is disposed above the sink 27 a suflicient distance to accom and is joined to the sink 27 by means of upper and lower' clamping rings 30 and 31, respectively. Each of the rings 30 and 31 is internally threaded and arranged tocooperate with threads on the sleeve 28. A suitable washer 32 is disposed between the sink 27 and one of the clamping rings.

The upper clamping ring 30 also serves as a guide for an intermediate portion of the outlet tube 25 which is vertically movable for controlling the flow of water into and from the tank 10. The tube 25 has a knob, or pad, 33 secured to the top thereof and a valve actuating rod 34 extending downwardly therefrom toward the inlet valve stem 23. The lower end of rod 34 terminates in.

spaced relation to the upper end of the valve stem. A. downward push onthe knob 33 unitarily moves the tube 25 and the rod 34 downwardly until the latter engages the inlet valve stem 23. Lost motion of the rod 34 is thus provided, and continued downward movement of the rod 34 is necessary to move the stem 23 downwardly and open the valve 19. The reason for providing the lost motion connection is explained hereinafter.

When the valve 19 is opened, liquid flows therethrough, out through a valve passageway 40, and into the tank 10, thereby pressurizing the stored liquid and forcing it into the tube 25 through an opening 41 near the lower end thereof. Preferably, the opening 41 is located where the stored liquid is hottest, i.e., the highest liquid level in the tank, so that the hottest liquid therein will be dispensed.

Coiled about the outlet tube 25 and disposed within the sleeve 28 is a helical spring 42 which is compressed between the base of the sleeve and an annular flange 43 secured to the exterior surface of the tube 25. The spring 42 yieldingly holds tube 25 and rod 34 in their uppermost positions between dispensing operations and forces their return to that position from a lower position when the handle 33 is released at the end of a dispensing operation.

Immediately following the closing of the inlet valve 19 and the return of the outlet tube 25 and the actuating rod 34 to upper position, it is desirable to increase the volumetric capacity of the tank so that expansion space will be provided for the stored liquidbeing heated between dispensingoperations. This feature, prevents, obi jectionable drippingrof hot liquid from the outlet tube 25. It is also desirable to eliminaterthe expansion space in the tank immediately before thelinlet valve 19 is opened to dispensehot liquid; otherwise, a large quantity of fresh cool, water mustbe admitted forpressurizing the hot liquid. To this end, the marginal portion of the diaphragm 17 surrounding its centrallylocated aperture is clamped tothe outlet tubeq25 by means of a threaded clamping connection which is carried on the tube 25 and designated as a whole by the numeral 45. A flange-like shoulder 46 of the clamping connection 45 also serves to limit the upward movement ,of the, tube 25jbyfengaging the base of the sleeve 28.,

, vWith the initial downward'rhovement of the tube 25 and,the ,rod 34, the diaphragm 17 is moved from the maximum volume position shown in the drawing by solid lines toward the decreased volume position shown in phantom. After the gap between the rod 34 and the stem 23 has been closed, continued downward movement of the rod 34 opens the inlet valve 19 as the desired decrease in volumetric tank capacity is fully attained. At thetermination of a dispensing operation,

, '4 l source of pressurized liquid and the interior of said tank, said movable wall portion being provided with a tubular outlet member movable with said wall portion, a valve actuating member disposed in said tank and connected to said outlet member so as to be moved thereby in one direction toward said stationary wall portion when the movable wall portion is moved inwardly, said actuating member being movable in another direction away from said stationary wall portion when the movable wall portion is moved outwardly, said inlet valve being movable to open position by said actuating member after the latter is moved in said one direction and to closed position when the actuating member is moved in said other directhe lost motion of .the rod 34 with respect to the valve stem 23 allows the valve 19 to close with the initial upward movement of the rod-34 and thereafter permits the tube 25 and the'diaphragm 17 to move upwardly to increase the volumetric capacity of thetank '10 and create the desired expansion space after the valve is 3 closed. 7 V V r While the invention has been shown in but one form,

it will be obvious to those skilled-in the art that-it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

metric capacity of said tank, said tank having a second wall portion provided with an inlet, a normally closed inlet valve connected between said tank inletand a source of pressurized liquid and movable to an open position, means for heating the liquid in said tank, said firstwall portion being provided with a tubular outlet member movable with said first wall portion, and means including a valve,actuator disposed in said tank and connected to said outlet member so as to bemoved thereby for opening said inlet valve after said first wall portionismoved inwardly and for closing said inlet valve before thevolumetric capacity of the tank is restored, l

2'. In a hot liquid dispenser, a liquid storage tank hav-, ing a wall portion movable inwardlyand outwardly to decrease and restore, respectively, the volumetric capac tion but before the volumetric capacity of said tank is restored.

3. In a hot liquid dispenser, a liquid storage tank having a flexible wall portion movable in-first and second directions to decrease and restore, respectively, the volumetric capacity of said tank, said tank having another wall portion provided with an inlet, a normally closed inlet valve in said inlet connectable to a source of pressurized liquid and movable tov open position in which liquid is admitted to the tank, said flexible wall portion being provided with a tubular outlet through which liquid is dispensed from the tank and by which forces for moving said wall portion are transmitted thereto, said tubular outlet having a valve actuator connected thereto and movable therewith, and means including said valve actuator disposed in said tank for opening said valve after said wall portion is moved inwardly and for closing said valve before the volumetric capacity of the tank is restored.

4. In a hot liquid dispenser, a liquid storage tank including a flexible top wall member and a rigid lower wall member, an inlet valve in said rigid wall member connected to a source of pressurized liquid, an outlet tube connected to said flexible wall member and providing communication betwen the exterior and interior of said tank, means for biasing said tube upwardly, said flexible wall member being movable downwardly by said tube to decrease the volumetric capacity of said tank when the tube is moved downwardly against the bias of said biasing means, said flexible member being movable upwardly with said tube to restore the volumetric capacity of said tank when the tube is moved upwardly by said biasing means, said inlet'valve being normally closed and movable to open position, and valve actuating means con-. nected to said tube and movable in response to movement of said tube, said valve being'opened by said valve actuating means only during final downward movement of said flexible wall portion and during initial upward movement of said flexible wall portion.

ity of said tank, said tank having a stationarywaltpor-r tion, a normally closed inlet valvefconnectable to a References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,522,370 Jenny Jan. 6, 1925 "2,869,760 Karlen et al Jan. 20, 1959 

